Book & Cocktail Review: Free the Tipple*

[Ad-gifted] If you want a gift for someone who loves a bit of culture accompanied by a “kickass” cocktail then Free the Tipple(Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women) by Jennifer Croll with illustrations by Kelly Shami is just the book for you.

Published by Prestel Publishing the book is filled with fabulous female-inspired cocktails – mainly of women from the art world, whether they be photographers, actors, artists, fashion icons, musicians/singers and a couple of athletes thrown in – each having made a significant mark within the respective industries and have an interesting story to tell. And to render them even more iconic, a delicious cocktail to match.

Many of the cocktails you will recognise, others appear to be subtle twists on some classics but within them are some more adventurous and creative ones, matching the personalities of the people they have been inspired by. I love cocktails and found plenty I would like to try, however, I have limited it to two. Here you will see how easy (or not) they are to prepare and how they taste – and – of course, who the person is behind their inspiration.

What I thought of Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women

I have to say, even before making these cocktails, I loved this book! It’s a neat little hardback and would make the perfect gift for one of your girlfriends or any lover of a good female lead book. The biographies or short synopsis-style life snippets of each woman in the book are captivating. I found myself fast-flicking through the pages reading backwards and forwards missing women out, and then going back to read about them later.

You will recognise many of the women in the book but if you’re like me there will be an odd few you haven’t heard of who are equally as interesting as the ones you know. One, in particular, I felt I should have known about but didn’t was Edith Head – who had been a prolific costume designer during the Golden Age of film – I love films and growing up I was immersed in them. I watched many, regardless of the era in which they were created, so when I read about Edith Head and her involvement in the industry I felt she was someone I should have known about! Well now I know and I found out another fascinating fact: she is still the only woman to have won so many Oscars. So, if you found this snippet a good little read then I can guarantee you will equally love the book.

Now let’s get to the nitty-gritty of the book…the cocktails and ooo there are so many to choose from.

You will find some classics, some teeny twists on classics and a few new creations imagined by the author Jennifer Croll, who talks about how she isn’t a mixologist by trade but does love a tipple in her kitchen and expects that most of these you will be able to re-create at home. I would like to point out though unless you have a very well-stocked bar, it’s unlikely you’ll have all the ingredients you might need. So, I have chosen four that should be pretty straightforward to do at home.

Just before I get to the cocktails I wanted to return to the beginning of the book, as I forgot to mention how great it is. If you are buying this book as a cocktail novice and wanted it more because of its interesting facts of some fascinating females then you will find these initial pages really handy. Just after the intro to the book you will find a page on equipment, so your strainer, mixer and measure guide (so you know how much to put in your cocktails) – a guide on glassware, which I found useful as sometimes trying to work out which cocktail will work best in each glass is confusing – and then a page on spirits, giving you the low down on the layers of a cocktail – so understanding the types of alcohol you put in your drink might also help with what you decide to mix it with.

Cocktail one – Selena

11/2 shots of tequila
1/2 Campari (or in my case Aperol)
1/2 lime juice
1/2 shot of grapefruit juice

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake, and strain to serve in a Coupe glass.

Inspired by Selena, and no not Gomez – but the Tejano music sensation who tragically died at the age of 23. She is an icon I had no clue about, but since reading this book, I discovered that Jennifer Lopez starred in her biographical film.

Her cocktail isn’t a classic but a Croll (the author’s) creation – but here you will have to excuse me as I didn’t have any Campari and didn’t want to buy it for one cocktail so using the guide in this book I found that Aperol is also a bitter so I will be using a drop of this instead.

I love the taste of this cocktail the bitterness isn’t overpowering and it has a good balance of sweet and sour elements too.

Cocktail two – Cindy Sherman

2 shots of Vodka
1 shot of cranberry juice
3/4 shot of lime
3/4 shot of triple sec

Shake in a shaker with ice, strain to serve in a chilled Martini glass add a lemon twist to finish

I studied photography at Uni and have had a passion for many an alternative and conceptual photographer like Cindy Sherman – although not my favourite, I can’t argue with her impact on the photographic world or her sense of controversy in the creation of her self-portrait imagery. Each carries its own strange and often misread message on female judgement – much like the judgment you might get when ordering a Cosmopolitan (which is how Croll describes her link with the classic Cosmo. and Cindy).

This is quite dry and sour and as a lover of a margarita this is a great alternative even with my love of cocktails I have actually never had a Cosmopolitan and loved the flavours in this, with the fruitiness of the cranberry and the sourness of the lime.

Cocktail three – Vivienne Westwood

2 shots of gin
1 shot of creme de cassis
1 shot of lemon juice
Fresh mint garnish

Mix all together in a cocktail shaker and pour into a rock glass filled with crushed ice topped with a sprig of fresh mint.

This isn’t my favourite but I could not miss out on Vivienne Westwood from my selection – my absolute icon – her passion towards free speech was so notable alongside her far-reaching activism. Up until her death, I looked forward to her weekly Friday speech – which was carried out in the same vain as the Queen’s speech, always wearing something memorable, where she talked about all the things she felt were important in her often (in some people’s opinion) controversial beliefs.

This cocktail is a twist on the classic bramble. I think Vivienne would have enjoyed it as she loved to forage, cook and eat fresh foods so this one with a bit of British-inspired blackcurrant liqueur in it is the perfect drink!

If one of these isn’t your choice of tipple don’t be disbarred: with each page featuring a different cocktail linked to a female icon, you will surely find one that you can use even if you only have a cupboard full of leftover spirits (that you find after every good party) to create a tasty one from this fabulous book. I would have loved to try to make – had I had the ingredients to hand – the Lucy (from I Love Lucy) cocktail – a strawberry number which would be perfect for the summer or the Flo-Jo (the iconic 200m runner from the early 80’s), whose cocktail is red white and blue symbolising the American flag and felt like a fun drink to make if you have a bottle of Blue Curco handy! With all the ones to choose from, you could certainly make for a fun-themed girls’ night around each famous woman and matching cocktail, keep reading to find out where to get your copy.

Where can you buy you – Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women book?

The book retails at around £12.99.  For stockist links visit Prestel Publishing.

About the book

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Prestel
Format : Hardcover
Number of pages ‏ : ‎ 144
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-3791389882
Book details : ‎ 15.82 x 1.83 x 19.48 cm

Author Jen Croll
Photograph: Rebecca Blissett

About the Author and Illustrator

Jennifer Croll has written several books on fashion some aimed at children/teens and others perfect for the coffee table. Her love of fashion and cocktails means that these are her topics of focus but her clear vision ends up with her creating captivating and cleverly compiled books that put facts and fun together.

She does this with the help of carefully curated illustrators like the one that features in her latest cocktail book Free the Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women – illustrated by Kelly Shami who has helped her with three of her most recent books so far. Her line-drawn cartoon style fills the pages with colour and character and captures the characters of the people she has drawn perfectly.

Review by: Lex Ward

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